Combination trunk and sample-case.



' s. T. WHITAKER. COMBINATION TRUNK AND SAMPLE CASE.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 28, 1911.

1, 1 1 0,020, Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

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Q, N m f E 701a WITNESSES [NV N llorneys THE NOIQRIS PETERS 60..PHOIO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, u C

8. T. WHITAKER.

COMBINATION TRUNK AND SAMPLE CASE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 28, 1911- Patented Sept. 8, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHBET2.

THE NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHOTD-LITHIL. WASHINGTON. n. c.

unrrnn sra'rns Para SAMUEL T. WHITAKER, OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOROF ONE-THIRD TO THOMAS W. BATES AND ONE-THIRD TO EDWARD B. REED, BOTH OFCOLUM- BUS, GEORGIA.

COMBINATION TRUNK AND SAMPLE-CASE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL T. W'HITAKER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county ofMuscogee and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Combination Trunks and Sample-Gases; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in combination trunks and displaycases, and has for an object the arrangement of receptacles in nestedrelation within a housing, the construction being such as to adapt thereceptacles when closed to be readily and quickly withdrawn and exposedto view for displaying their contents.

With this and other objects in view, the invention comprises certainnovel constructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will behereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure l is a top plan view of anembodiment of the invention, the parts being shown in their open ordisplay position. Fig. 2 is a vertical, central section takenapproximately on the plane indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is asimilar section taken substantially at right angles to the plane ofsection of Fig. 2, and showing the parts in their folded or closedposition. Fig. 4 is a. vertical section taken approximately on the planeindicated by line 44 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 indicates a casing or housinghaving a bottom 23, sides 24, 24, and ends 26, 26. Supplemental endpieces 6, 6, are arranged within the housing or casing 1 and against therespective ends 26. Each supplemental end piece 6 is formed with spacedvertical guiding grooves 5, 5, and interposed between the grooves is aguiding strip 9 adapted to supplement the guiding of the partshereinafter described. The strips 9 are arranged about midway of thesupplemental end pieces 6 and the grooves 5 are spaced at either sidethereof, said grooves terminating short of the upper end of therespective piece 6, and above the strips 9 is arranged a longitudinalplate or retaining strip 2 fixed at its ends to the upper ends of theSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. June 28, 1911.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914. Serial No. 635,824.

plates 6. The ends 26 terminate below the upper ends of pieces 6 foraccommodating parts of the cover hereinafter described, and the sidepieces 24 are cut away as at 25, 25, so that their upper edges aredisposed below the plane of the upper edges of the ends 26, each of thecut away portions being of a depth substantially equal to the depth of adrawer-like receptacle 10, there being two of the receptacles 10, of adepth equal approximately to the width of the space between therespective side 24 and the nearest edge of the plates 9, so that the tworeceptacles are adapted to be accommodated within the housing andbetween plates 9, and the respective sides, when the receptacles are ina vertical position. Pins 7, 7, extend from each receptacle 10 neartheir inner or rear corners and project into the guiding grooves 5 fordirecting the receptacles in their movement.

A tray 14 is adapted to be nested within each receptacle 10 and eachtray is connected to its respective receptacle by links 18, 18,slidingly engaging retaining studs or pins 19, 19, projecting inwardlyfrom the respective receptacle 10 and similar pins or studs 20, 20,extending outwardly from the respective trays 14, the links being thusfree to swin and the studs being free to travel longitudinally of thelinks for allowing the trays to have a swinging and sliding movementfrom the nested position such as seen in Figs.,3 and 4 and also asindicated in dotted lines at the right of Fig. 2 to an extended positionsuch as seen in full lines in Figs. 1 and 2. The inner edge portion ofeach tray 14 is preferably provided with a stop or supporting block 16,and a similar block 12 is arranged within each receptacle 10 adjacentthe outer edge thereof for supporting the outer edge portion of the traywhen the tray is in its closed position. The blocks 12 and 16 are of awidth adapting the tray to fit within the receptacle with its upper oropen edge substantially flush with or slightly inside of thecorresponding edge of the respective receptacle 10. A tab 27 is fixed tothe outer edge portion of each tray 14 and extends in position forfacilitating operation of the parts. The tabs 27 may, of course, be madeof any suitable material, preferably flexible, to enable the desirednesting of the tray within the respective receptacle while the tabextends beyond the edge of the receptacle for the purpose of beinggrasped manually.

T he top or cover of the housing 1 consists of two tray-like coverplates 22 having depending side plates or flanges 17, 17, of widthsul'licient to have their lower edges rest on theupper edges of thecut-way portions 25 when the cover plates are in their closed position.The outer end of each cover plate 22 is provided with a flange 8 whichis of less width than the side flanges l7, and the opposite end of eachcover plate is provided with a still narrower flange 13. Eyes 36 arefixed to and outstand from the upper portion of each supplemental endpiece 6, and a pintle or hinge rod 35 is arranged for each end piece andextends through said eyes and is carried thereby, each of said rods inturn pivotally sustaining a hinge leaf or plate 34:. Each plate or leaf3% is formed with apertures 33, and through said apertures looselyextend parallel rods 32, 32, which rods have their ends fixed to theflanges 8 and 13 of the respective cover plates Thus the cover plates 22are capable of being slid apart horizontally longitudinally of thehousing, the rods 82 moving longitudinally through the apertures 33 inhinge plates 34: until the flanges 13 strike plates 3%. Thereupon theleaves 34: may be hinged outwardly, the plates 22 being thus loweredpivotally from a horizontal to a vertical position and may hang thusvertically outside of the ends 26, or the cover plates 22 may be removedfrom their closed position by being swung pivotally in the firstinstance, the plates 3% swinging as hinges and the cover plates beingswung until they arrive in a horizontal, inverted position with theirformer inner flanges outermost, as indicated in Fig. 1. In this positionthe cover plates with their flanges may serve as trays, and the weightof the outstanding parts of the cover plates is sustained by a shearingstress on the rods 82 transmitted thence to the hinge leaves 3% andtheir connected parts.

A latch or locking device of any appropriate type, as indicated at 37,may be provided for retaining the cover plates 22 in their closedposition.

In operation, assuming the parts to be in the position indicated inFigs. 8 and i, the cover plates are first removed in either of the twoways above suggested, and then the operator grasps the upwardlyprojecting end of one of the tabs 27 and draws the same upwardly whichproduces an upward sliding movement of the respective receptacle 10, thepin 7 traveling in the respective grooves 5 until the pins contact withthe upper ends of said grooves. When the parts arrive at this position,the operator swings the upper edge of the receptacle 10 outwardly,moving the same on the pins 7 as a pivot, until the receptacle rests onthe upper edge of the respective side 2%, the cutaway portion 25 beingsuliiciently deep to accomn'iodate the receptacle in a horizontalposition, and the distance between the inner edge of the receptacle andthe edge of the side 2 l being less than the distance between said sideand the outer edge of said receptacle so that the balance of weight willnormally be beyond the side and hence the receptacle will rest in theposition given it, being retained against tilting outwardly byengagement of the pins 7 with the ends of the slots 5 and also byengagement of the upper inner edge of the respective receptacle with theunder face of plate 2. The parts having arrived at this position, andthe operator still holding on to the tab 27, lifts the same upwardlyuntil the outer edge of the respective tray arrives above the upperouter edge of receptacle 10, and then the operator draws the tray l toutwardly to the limit of its movement prescribed by links 18 and theircon sections, whereupon the particular receptacle and tray will be inthe position indicated in Fig. 2. The other receptacle and tray may bemoved to their open or unfolded position in exactly the same manner. Theclosing or the tray and receptacle consists of the reverse movementincluding the replacing of the ray in the receptacle 10, a pivoting ofthe receptacle to a vertical position, and then a sliding of thereceptacle downwardly into the housing, the pin 7 guiding the receptaclein such downward movement. it is noted that the grooves 5 are merelyillustrative guide-ways and other guide-ways and guiding means may beprovided, but such guide-ways must be so arranged as to permit theswinging of the receptacle from a vertical to a horizontal position.

It is to be observed that the movement of withdrawing the receptacle andits tray may be accomplished with the utmost facility and speed, as themovement is practically one continuous motion consisting of elevatingthe receptacle, swinging it over to a horizontal position, and elevatingand drawing out the tray. Thus no time whatever is lost in exposing thecontents of the receptacles and the tray, the contents of the receptacle, of course, being disposed between the tray and the bottom ofthe receptacle in the space provided for by the steps 12 and 16.

What I claim is 1. In a device of the class described, the combinationof a casing having guiding means, and a receptacle having cooperatingmeans engaging the guiding means of the casing for enabling bodilyreciprocal and pivotal movement of the receptacle, the easing beingformed with a cut-away portion in one of its walls suflicient forcausing the upper edge of the wall at the cut-away portion to lie in aplane below the plane of the upper edge of the guiding means of thecasing a distance substantially equal to the depth of the receptacle,and the receptacle being adapted to be swung laterally from a verticalposition when its 00- operating guiding means is at the upper terminusof the guiding means of the casing to a substantially horizontalposition in contact with the upper edge of the wall at the cut-awayportion.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing, aplate at the upper portion of the casing, and a receptacle movablymounted in the casing and adapted to be moved vertically in part pastthe plate and to swing from the vertical position laterally to asubstantially horizontal position with its inner edge beneath the plateand its outer portion resting on a portion of the casing, the portion ofthe casing thus engaged by the receptacle being disposed in a plane adistance below the under face of the plate substantially equal to thedepth of the recep tacle.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing, aplate at the upper portion of the casing, and a receptacle movablymoimted in the casing and adapted to be moved vertically in part pastthe plate and to swing from the vertical position laterally to asubstantially horizontal position with its inner edge beneath the plateand its outer portion resting on a portion of the casing, the portion ofthe casing thus engaged by the receptacle being disposed in a plane adistance below the under face of the plate substantially equal to thedepth of the receptacle, said receptacle extending beyond the portion ofthe casing on which it rests a distance greater than the distancebetween such pcrtion of the casing and the inner edge of the receptacle.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a casing, anda receptacle bodily movably mounted therein, the casing being formedwith guide-Ways disposed laterally with respect to the receptacle andthe receptacle being formed with guiding pins projecting laterally intosaid guide-ways and adapted to enable vertical reciprocation of thereceptacle limited in an upward direction by the engagement of the pinswith the guide-ways, the said receptacle being adapted to be swungthence on the pins as a pivot to a horizontal position resting on aportion of the casing.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL T. WHITAKER.

Witnesses:

C. H. FEsLER, GEO. B. PITTs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

